Friday, 22 January 2010

Main Task - Recieving The Brief

I have recieved the brief for my a level task:to produce the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

I immediately thought of what genre of film to focus on. My media teacher is discussing the style of thrillers with us, an area which i am interested in myself too although do not know much about. I do not know if my final idea for my film would be but thrillers is a good start in deciding.

I have started research into thrillers by watching a few openings to some.

Se7enDirected by David Fincher, starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow.The establishing shot is a long shot of a bedroom, with the curtains closed. It is obviously nighttime and the low key lighting comes only from a bedside table. This is next to Freeman sitting up in bed reading. This scene shows him from a few angles, eventually zooming slowly in on him. He reaches over a starts a metronome ticking. The camera cuts between the metronome clicking and freeman sitting in bed, zooming in in both shots. The significance of this short opening introduces the main character, and the ticking of the metronome may signify time ticking away, or a possible fast paced editting of the film. The metronome certainly links to the next part of the opening, a montage of editting relative to the time of the metronome.The next section begins with a shot of an open book from above, we don't know what the book is about as the shot is out of focus, this creates some suspence and questioning of what the film is about also, and it's relevence to the storyline. This is followed by a montage of shots that make the veiwer uncomfortable or uneasy. This inlcudes razor blades, a typewriter, film being cut, photographs of a dead persons head with stitches in, something being written. These shots are also either out of focus or closeups which makes it difficult to tell what the shot is of immediately. This montage of shots give me the impression that someone is planning something in great detail, i think it is giving clues or links to things that happen later on in the film. During these shots are the titles, which are a plain black screen held for a few seconds with names in a white scribbly blackboard font, almost child-like. This links with the handwriting and planning of the shots, and the scratchiness reminds me of someone trying to get out of somewhere, the way a prisoner would sctratch on a wall. This montage of shots, although making the veiwer uneasy, also makes them want to carry on watching to see what the person is planning and what significance the montage has to the rest of the film. A good opening should make the veiwer want to carry on watching and this is acheived.